Big Bird and friends to land at Hanover Theatre this weekend

When Christopher Ellis was first cast as Big Bird in the touring theatrical production “Sesame Street Live,” he wasn't so sure the idea was going to fly.

“I had never done costume work a day in my life up to that point,” Ellis recalled. “I thought I was going to quit. I cried in my costume. I said, 'This is not what I'm trained to do.' ”

That, however, was 10 years ago. Ellis has taken the role under his wing since then, and comes to The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts as Big Bird in six performances of “Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music” Friday through Sunday.

“I did it,” Ellis said of mastering the role, and the 8-foot, 2-inch costume. “Thank God for it. I love it so much. I have a lot of fun with it.”

In “Elmo Makes Music,” Elmo, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby and all their Sesame Street pals are joined on stage by a human, Jenny the Music teacher (played by Elise Murphy). Jenny arrives on Sesame Street only to discover that her instruments are missing. But she and her new friends discover that trashcan lids, cookie jars and other objects can have rhythm, and that everyone can make and enjoy beautiful music together. The show's songs include “The Alphabet Song,” “Rockin' Robin,” and “You Should De Dancing.”

“It's more acting than dancing,” Ellis said of bopping around the stage in his Big Bird costume. There are a lot of mechanics to the part as well.

While Ellis said he is 6 feet, 2 inches tall (he also described himself as African-American with glasses), an 8-foot, 2-inch costume is still a formidable thing to put on. The costume has to be lowered onto him. “He's a pretty big bird, man.”

With his right hand, Ellis operates Big Bird's head. Ellis' left arm is Big Bid's left arm. Ellis can also manipulate some wire with his left hand to move Big Bird's right arm. The danger is that when the dancing gets intense, Big Bird's right arm is flapping around too much, Ellis observed. It's all part of the challenge of putting on a costume. “You've got to go out there and make the show come to life,” Ellis said.

Prior to auditioning for “Sesame Street Live” 10 years ago, Ellis said, “I had no idea what 'Sesame Street Live' was. I knew they were on TV but didn't know they were on stage.”

Ellis grew up in Minneapolis, where he said he was always “very big on the arts. I always wanted to be exposed to the arts, acting, dancing.” But for a while something held him back — there seemed to be no contemporaries or important others who shared his interest.

“I had to come out of my shell,” he said. “It wasn't like I was scared. I danced a little bit in high school, but didn't let loose the way I wanted to.”

Finally, he said to himself, “ 'It's now or never.' ”

After high school, he applied to performance programs at colleges in Chicago and Philadelphia but couldn't afford them, so he “danced around Minneapolis” and took dance classes there. “I'm getting experience, but I'm still in Minneapolis,” Ellis recalled.

Which, as things turned out, wasn't such a bad place to be. Minneapolis is the home of Vee Corporation, founded in 1980 to produce the live stage touring shows for Sesame Workshop, the company that created the famous “Sesame Street” children's television show. Vee's roster of productions now includes several different “Sesame Street Live” shows, as well as theater shows based on other children's TV programs such as “Barney and Friends.”

In early 2003, Vee Corporation was holding auditions in Minneapolis, and a friend of Ellis encouraged him to try out. The friend tried out, too. “My friend said, 'Just do it.' ”

So Ellis, then 20, did. “They liked me,” he said. He was hired (his friend got hired by Vee Corporation after another audition 18 months later).

Ellis was also the tallest person to be hired that time. “So I got the tallest costume.”

During rehearsals, “They kept telling me, 'You're great,' ” which helped overcome some initial misgivings. Actually, his rendition of Big Bird was always likely to be sure-footed. Ellis said his own shoe size is 13, so “Big Bird has really big feet.”

It all adds up to 10 years of longevity as Big Bird — and counting. “They keep asking me back,” he said. Ellis likes the travel, and noted that he's been to Worcester two or three times with other “Sesame Street Live” shows.

In terms of interaction with the audience before and after the shows, he's found that there's a certain pecking order concerning Big Bird. He often finds that more adults than children are drawn to his character, and theorized the reason is because Big Bird is a 1969 “Sesame Street” original, while someone such as Elmo didn't come on the scene until 10 years later.

Eventually, Ellis sees himself taking up new challenges, including going back to school. Meanwhile, “It's a great job. I'm very comfortable with this job.”

He was speaking on the telephone recently from Morgantown, Va., where “Elmo Makes Music” was making several performances as part of the current tour that brings the show to Worcester. It was cold in Morgantown, Ellis noted. Back home in Minneapolis, “it's getting colder.”

But he doesn't have to worry about being cold on stage inside the Big Bird costume.

“It's not warm, but hot,” he said of wearing the costume. “It gets very warm.”